End the Bending of Air

After seeing this movie, I really really really... want to go see the original series. It looks so interesting.

This movie, on the other hand, is a complete mess. I'm going to ignore the racial complaints, as there is no need to, because there's more fun for me to be had mocking everything else. The story is about some kid coming to realise his destiny and power, and engage in CGI fights and there are other people who do things, and do them because...

Actually, freaked if I know. As this is the problem. This movie seems like a three hour movie that's been cut down. I'm sure you've heard of "show don't tell", but there are many scenes in which we get some filmed sequence with Katara narrating events over it that should be developed. (Such as when Sokka meets Yue, we are told that he, basically, falls in love with her, and that is about as much character development as we get that is suppose to mean something in a later scene... perhaps if we had actually seen some of that we might care? But not...) But then, there are more than a few cases of "don't show or tell". Quite a few times I wondered "what are they doing there? where did those people come from? did she just refer to something we've never been told?" A complete confused mess.

There are some nice visuals. Indeed, some great scenes in which people fight with CGI that just impress in how well the one-continual-shot included people getting blown or frozen or earth popping up and down... it's just a good moment. On the other hand, there was that disturbing scene where Sokka and Aang are talking and M. Night decided that the best way to show them talking was in EXTREME CLOSE UP!!! Wah!

Given all this, I'm not saying anything bad about the acting. They did well, from what I can tell of what remains on the screen. Fine, the arm waving doesn't quite work, but no-one gets that right, so it's not like anyone can be singled out. (And, hey, look, it's Cliff!)

Don't bother seeing this movie, 'cos it just isn't worth bothering about...

[END]